Galway is facing up to a scenario where more than forty parishes in the Diocese will be administered by a mere 20 priests over the coming years.

That will see a greater involvement for the laity over the coming years as the clergy embark on a vocations drive in the meantime.

The Bishop of Clonfert, Galway and Kilmacduagh, Dr Michael Duignan, has acknowledged there will be fewer priests in future – but, equally, he said that the Church has to address this situation by promoting vocations.

He said that a structure had to be established that would involve grouping parishes to provide the most efficient service for parishioners.

A decade ago, in 2013, there were almost 50 priests serving the Diocese of Galway but that number has reduced significantly and will continue to do so.

Speaking from the World Youth Day in Lisbon, Bishop Duignan said that it was a privilege to be there, and he was encouraged that there was a delegation of more than 40 from Galway present.

“This is encouraging in itself but the overall outlook is not great and that is the same with every diocese across the country,” he said

Bishop Duignan told the Connacht Tribune that there were parishes that were once served by three priests and were now lucky to be administered by one.

“Maybe we will end up as smaller communities, but it is from there we can evolve,” he said.

Read our special feature on the future for the Catholic Church in Galway, in this week’s Connacht Tribune, on sale in shops now, or you can download the digital edition from www.connachttribune.ie. You can also download our Connacht Tribune App from Apple’s App Store or get the Android Version from Google Play.